Faded photographs of days gone by on the Kenai Peninsula…

Roosevelt was the name of a station stop along the new railroad on the shore of Kenai Lake. It began as a support location for workers during construction of the railroad and after that performed another function…this was the stopping place for wealthy, out of state big game hunters to exit the train and embark on a journey across Kenai Lake and downriver to access the world famous hunting grounds between Skilak and Tustumena lakes. They were led by early Seward guides such as Andy Simons.

And then after that…
A woman by the name Nellie Neal came to Alaska in 1915 and made a name for herself running railroad station stops, as a big game huntress and a market hunter for the railroad. She became so well known that she was just called by her nickname….Alaska Nellie.  People from the lower 48 would send letters simply addressed to Nellie, Alaska…and they would get to her ! She saw the Roosevelt station stop for the first time in 1915 and by the time 1923 rolled around was ready to settle there permanently. Nellie made an offer to buy the place and it was accepted, she saw the station stop as a prime location to cater to the tourist industry beyond just hunting. Soon after the purchase she married Bill Lawing and when Nellie filed for a post office she requested the official name be changed to Lawing.

The name Roosevelt was quickly forgotten and relegated to history, the name Lawing stuck for several decades.